Disc type recording/reproduction device

ABSTRACT

A disk recording-reproducing apparatus ensures a large transport distance of a tray which moves a disk-shaped recording medium between an ejecting position and a recording-reproducing position while decreasing a dimension in the transport direction. A drive section ( 47 ) is built into a tray ( 13 ) which can be extracted from and retracted into an external chassis ( 10 ) and moves a disk-shaped recording medium between the ejecting position and the recording-reproducing position. A pinion ( 56 ) comprises an output end of the drive section ( 47 ) and rolls on a rack ( 24 ) of a chucking slider ( 20 ) to self-propel the tray ( 13 ). After the tray ( 13 ) completely moves to the recording-reproducing apparatus side, an output from the drive section ( 47 ) of the tray ( 13 ) is used to move the chucking slider ( 20 ) to the ejecting direction of the tray ( 13 ). Then, a cam groove ( 23 ) provided on the chucking slider ( 20 ) is used to raise a base unit ( 30 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/432,438 filed Sep. 5, 2003, which is the National Stage of PCTApplication No. PCT/JP02/09580, filed Sep. 18, 2002.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a disk recording-reproducing apparatusand more particularly to a disk recording-reproducing apparatus thatuses a pickup to perform recording and/or reproducing by rotating adisk-shaped recording medium.

BACKGROUND ART

There is widely used a disk recording-reproducing apparatus that usesdisk-shaped recording media such as a CD (compact disk), a DVD and anoptical disk for recording and/or reproducing music and videos. Further,such disk-shaped recording media are used as storage devices forinformation processing apparatuses such as computers.

In this case, the disk-shaped recording medium is mounted on a tray.Then, the tray moves from an ejecting position to arecording-reproducing position. With this state, a turntable rises fromthe bottom and floats the disk-shaped recording medium to rotativelydrive it. Then, an optical pickup moves in the radial direction of thedisk-shaped recording medium for recording or reproduction.

The disk recording-reproducing apparatus requires the tray for movingthe recording medium comprising an optical disk between the ejectingposition and the recording-reproducing position. A drive means is usedto move the tray between

If a drive section for moving the tray is positioned to the rear of thechassis where the tray is pushed into the chassis farthest from thefront, moving the tray to the ejecting position disengages the drivesection from the tray. Accordingly, the tray drive section needs to beprovided to the front of the chassis and on the ejecting position side.

On the other hand, the disk recording-reproducing apparatus necessitatesarranging the optical pickup below the tray. If the optical pickup isarranged to the front of the turntable and on the ejecting positionside, the drive section and the optical pickup must be arranged to thefront of the chassis. The apparatus may be configured to provide two ormore types of optical pickups and inevitably arrange the optical pickupsto the front of the turntable. As a disadvantageous effect, the entireapparatus will have a large depth due to the drive section and theoptical pickup on the front of the turntable.

As mentioned above, after the tray mounted with the disk-shapedrecording medium is moved from the ejecting position to the reproductionposition, the turntable and the optical pickup need to be raised so asto approach the disk-shaped recording medium. Conventionally, theturntable and the optical pickup are provided as the same base unit. Avertical drive means is used for vertically operating the turntable andthe optical pickup. Accordingly, this configuration requires drivesections each for driving the dray and for vertically operating the baseunit, increasing the number of drive sections.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing.It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a diskrecording-reproducing apparatus which prevents a depth from increasingdue to provision of a drive section for driving a tray and prevents thenumber of drive sections from increasing due to provision of a drivesection for vertically operating a base unit.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a disk recording-reproducing apparatusthat rotates a disk-shaped recording medium and uses a pickup to recordand/or reproduce data from the recording medium, the apparatuscomprising:

a tray to move said disk-shaped recording medium between arecording-reproducing position and an ejecting position; and

a drive section which is provided on said tray to self-propel said traybetween said recording-reproducing position and said ejecting position.

An output end of the drive section may comprise a pinion which, in achassis, rotates by engaging with a rack arranged along a transportdirection of the tray for self-propelling. A motor of the drive sectionmay be supplied with power from a fixed side via a flexible printedcircuit board subject to U-shaped bending. Further, the tray may beprovided with a retractable guide mechanism that supports the flexibleprinted circuit board from underneath.

Further, the present invention relates to a disk recording-reproducingapparatus which rotates a disk-shaped recording medium and uses a pickupfor recording and/or reproducing operations, said apparatus comprising:

a base unit having the pickup and a turntable to rotate the disk-shapedrecording medium;

a chucking slider to move the base unit up and down;

a tray to move the disk-shaped recording medium between arecording-reproducing position and an ejecting position on the baseunit; and

a drive section which is provided on the tray to self-propel the traybetween the recording-reproducing position and the ejecting position,

wherein the drive section moves the tray to the recording-reproducingposition to stop movement and then moves the chucking slider to raisethe base unit.

A lock means may lock the chucking slider while the tray is moving, andmay lock the tray and may unlock the chucking slider when the tray movesto the recording-reproducing position. The lock means may comprise alever. A hook thereof may engage with a recessed section of the chuckingslider to lock the chucking slider. A lock pin of the lock lever mayenter an L-shaped groove of the tray to lock the tray. The hook of thelock lever may touch a cam surface of the chucking slider so that thelock lever may lock and hold the tray.

A drive section on the tray may comprise a motor and a gear train. Thegear train may be capable of changing gear ratios. A gear ratio may bechangeable in accordance with movements of the tray and the chuckingslider. The drive section may have a changeover member. Moving the trayto a recording-reproducing position may allow the changeover member totouch a fixed side. Then a changeover operation may be performed tochange a gear ratio.

There may be provided an emergency ejection member which can be manuallyoperated from the outside. Operating the ejection member may allow thechucking slider to lower the base unit. The tray may be pushed to anejecting position side at the last stroke in movement of the chuckingslider according to the emergency ejection member. The emergencyejection member may be attached to an eternal chassis via a dust-proofstructure having a spring and may be driven to move in an axis linedirection against the spring.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a diskrecording-reproducing apparatus which rotates a disk-shaped recordingmedium and uses a pickup for recording and/or reproducing operations,said apparatus comprising:

a tray to move the disk-shaped recording medium between arecording-reproducing position and an ejecting position; and

a transport means for moving the tray between the recording-reproducingposition and the ejecting position; and

a detection means for detecting a type of a disk-shaped recording mediumplaced on the tray,

wherein a detection result of the detection means changes an output orspeed of the transport means.

The detection means may detect a distinction between cartridge type andbare disk type disk-shaped recording media.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the drivesection is mounted on the rear end of the disk tray. The rack gearprovided in the external chassis engages with the pinion constituting anoutput end of the above-mentioned drive section to move the tray in aself-propelled manner. The DVD optical pickup and the DVR optical pickupare provided before and after the turntable. In order to reduce theapparatus depth, the drive section is mounted on the tray to eliminate aspace for installing the tray drive section.

The rack gear on the external chassis is attached to the chucking sliderthat is slidably mounted on the bottom of the chassis. When the traymoves, the lock lever prevents the chucking slider from sliding. Thelock lever locks the tray when the tray moves to therecording-reproducing position to complete loading of a disk-shapedrecording medium. Concurrently, the chucking slider having the rack gearis unlocked to allow the tray drive section equipped with a motor toreversely slide the chucking slider. This makes it possible to move upand down the base unit mounted with the optical pickups and theturntable. That is to say, the tray-mounted single drive section notonly drives the tray, but also moves the base unit up and down.

An L-shaped groove is provided on the bottom surface of the tray at itsrear end. The lock lever's lock pin is introduced into the innermostpart of the L-shaped groove. After the chucking slider is unlocked, thelock lever's hook is restricted by the cam surface on the moved chuckingslider. This makes the tray to be locked by the lock lever's lock pinintroduced into the innermost part of the L-shaped groove.

While the disk recording-reproducing apparatus is provided with twooptical pickups before and after the disk rotation section, theintegrated tray drive section is mounted on the tray at its rear. Thisstructure minimizes the disk recording-reproducing apparatus. Since thelock lever is used to change restrictions on the chucking slider and thetray, the tray drive section having the single motor can drive the trayand move the base unit up and down. It is possible to provide thesimplified structure, decrease the number of parts, and save costs.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to the emergencyejection mechanism that allows a disk-shaped recording medium to beejected when the motor for the tray drive section does not rotate in thedisk recording-reproducing apparatus using disk-shaped recording media.An aperture is formed in the bottom of the external chassis. Anemergency ejecting pinion is provided inside the aperture. The tray canbe pulled out manually by inserting a screwdriver. A spring is used toseat the emergency ejecting pinion on the bottom of the chassis. When ascrewdriver is inserted, the pinion can move in the axis line directionto rotate. In a normal state, the bottom end of the pinion is seated toprevent dust from entering.

According to this aspect, a recording medium can be ejected by manuallyoperating the emergency ejecting pinion even if the motor of the traydrive section does not rotate or the drive section fails. Furthermore,the spring applies a force to the emergency ejecting pinion.Accordingly, the emergency ejecting pinion, before pressed, is seated onthe mounting section of the external chassis. An opening for insertingthe screwdriver is closed to provide a dust-proof effect.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided the drive section for driving a tray that moves a disk-shapedrecording medium between the ejecting position and therecording-reproducing position. The drive section is mounted on the trayitself. A flexible printed circuit board is used to supply power to thedrive section motor. The flexible printed circuit board bends in aU-shaped manner. Since the tray is long and necessitates a longtransport distance, the flexible printed circuit board bending in aU-shaped manner becomes long accordingly. This causes a possibility ofcontact between the slacked flexible printed circuit board and otherparts. To avoid this, there is provided a guide for the flexible printedcircuit board. The guide is structured to be retractable in accordancewith the tray movement.

The flexible printed circuit board guide is slidably attached to theguide rail. When the tray is pulled out, the flexible printed circuitboard guide extends to support the flexible printed circuit board fromunderneath. When the tray is pushed toward the recording-reproducingposition, the flexible printed circuit board guide is put under thebottom surface of the tray. That is to say, the flexible printed circuitboard guide is attached under the tray and extends and retracts inaccordance with the tray movement. A bearer of the guide rail supportsthe flexible printed circuit board guide. At this time, the flexibleprinted circuit board guide is automatically assembled when its nailcrosses over the guide rail's cross bar. This improves assemblability ofthe flexible printed circuit board guide.

This configuration makes it possible to effectively support the flexibleprinted circuit board in a limited space by providing the flexibleprinted circuit board guide under the tray. Since the helical extensionspring is used to slide the flexible printed circuit board guide, theguide can be structured to extend when supporting the flexible printedcircuit board and can be compactly retracted otherwise. The flexibleprinted circuit board guide is inserted into the guide rail from one endthereof. The flexible printed circuit board guide is prevented frombeing disengaged when its nail crosses over the cross bar. Thisstructure can facilitate the insertion and assembly and improve theassembly efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a diskrecording-reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the disk recording-reproducing apparatuswith its tray pulled out;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an external chassis with its upper partopened;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a chucking slider;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the external chassis with a base unitinstalled;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the base unit;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the base unit with a DVR cartridge mounted;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the base unit with the DVR cartridge mounted;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the base unit with the DVR cartridgemounted;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the base unit mounted with a bare disk;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the base unit mounted with a bare disk;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the base unit mounted with a bare disk;

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of a tray drive section;

FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the tray drive section afterchangeover;

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view showing a changeover operation of achangeover plate;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged plan view showing an oscillating lever and anoscillating gear;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged front view showing the oscillating lever and theoscillating gear;

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a lock lever;

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing how the lock lever locks the chuckingslider;

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing how the lock lever locks the tray;

FIG. 21 is a plan view showing how a cam surface restricts the locklever;

FIG. 22 is a plan view showing an arrangement of the chucking slider andthe retracting lever;

FIG. 23 is a plan view showing how the retracting lever retracts thetray;

FIGS. 24A and 24B are partially vertical sectional views of theapparatus when the tray is retracting;

FIGS. 25A and 25B are partially vertical sectional views of theapparatus when the tray has completely retracted;

FIGS. 26A and 26B are partially vertical sectional views of theapparatus when the base unit is raised;

FIG. 27 is a plan view showing that the tray is ejected;

FIG. 28 is a plan view of the apparatus with the tray retracted to arecording-reproducing position;

FIG. 29 is a bottom plan view of the external chassis;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of an emergency ejecting pinion;

FIG. 31 is a perspective view with the emergency ejecting pinion raised;

FIG. 32 is a vertical sectional view showing installation of theemergency ejecting pinion;

FIG. 33 is a vertical sectional view with the emergency ejecting pinionraised;

FIG. 34 is a partially perspective view showing a detection mechanismfor a disk-shaped recording medium;

FIG. 35 is a partially enlarged and exploded perspective view of thedetection mechanism for the disk-shaped recording medium;

FIG. 36 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a detection operationfor a bare disk;

FIG. 37 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a detection operationfor a DVR cartridge;

FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing a drive circuit of a motor for thetray drive section;

FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing an operation of changing a motor voltage;

FIG. 40 is an exploded perspective view of a guide mechanism supportinga flexible printed circuit board;

FIGS. 41A and 41B are perspective views showing the guide mechanismassembled in an expanded position;

FIGS. 42A and 42B are perspective views showing the guide mechanismassembled in a retracted position;

FIG. 43 is a perspective bottom view of the tray mounted with theprinted circuit board guide mechanism;

FIGS. 44A and 44B are partial perspective views of the printed circuitboard guide mechanism with the tray ejected and retracted; and

FIGS. 45A through 45C are partially enlarged side views of the printedcircuit board guide mechanism with the tray ejected and retracted.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(1) Description of the Configuration Overall Configuration

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an overall configuration of the diskrecording-reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The disk recording-reproducing apparatus has anexternal chassis 10 forming a flat, rectangular solid. A front panel 11closes a front aperture of the external chassis 10. A horizontalaperture 12 is formed in the front panel 11. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,the horizontal aperture 12 allows a tray 13 to be freely inserted andejected. A step section 18 is provided on each of both inner sides ofthe external chassis 10 The both step sections 18 support the tray 13 sothat it can slide.

A recessed section 14 is formed approximately at the center of the tray13. The recessed section 14 holds and supports a disk-shaped recordingmedium. An aperture 15 is formed across the recessed section 14 in atray movement direction. The opening 15 has a U-shaped cut 16 farthestfrom the front and a semicircular cut 17 nearest to the front. Theoptical pickups can enter these cuts 16 and 17.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a chucking slider 20 is mounted inside theexternal chassis 10. The chucking slider 20 comprises left and rightwall sections and a center connecting section. The connecting sectionhas long holes 21 that extend in the slide direction. The long hole 21engages with a screw 22 fixed to the external chassis, supporting thechucking slider 20 capable of sliding in the long direction of the tray13.

The chucking slider 20 contains a pair of cam grooves 23 at the frontand the rear on each of both wall sections. A rack 24 is formed on aside of one of wall sections for moving the tray 13 in a self-propelledmanner. An emergency ejecting rack 25 is provided below the rack 24 atits front end. If the drive section for the tray 13 fails and cannoteject the tray 13, the rack 25 engages with the emergency ejectingpinion (to be described) to eject the tray 13.

Configuration of a Base Unit 30

The base unit 30 is provided above the chucking slider 20 as shown inFIGS. 2 and 5. The base unit 30 is a flat container. Its both sides(left and right) are each provided with two pins 31. These pins 31 fitinto the cam grooves 23 in both wall sections of the chucking slider 20.A tip of the pin 31 engages with a vertical slit 32 provided inside eachof the both wall sections of the external chassis 10. According to thisstructure, the base unit 30 is supported so that it can freely move inthe height direction. The cam groove 23 of the chucking slider 20 limitsthe height of the base unit 30.

There are provided a DVD optical pickup 33 and a DVR optical pickup 34on the base unit 30. The DVD optical pickup 33 is guided by a guide lock35 and a feed screw 36. A stepping motor 37 is provided at the end ofthe feed screw 36. When the stepping motor 37 is driven, the feed screw36 allows the DVD optical pickup 33 to move in the radial direction of adisk-shaped recording medium.

On the other hand, a pair of guide locks 38 and 39 support the DVRoptical pickup 34. A stepping motor 41 drives a feed screw 40 to movethe DVR optical pickup 34 in the radial direction of the disk-shapedrecording medium.

The optical pickups 33 and 34 are respectively located at the front andrear of the turntable 43 mounted on the base unit 30 via a bracket 42.That is to say, the DVD optical pickup 33 is located toward the ejectingdirection with reference to the turntable 43. The DVR optical pickup 34is located toward the inserting direction with reference to theturntable 43.

The base unit 30 is provided with a pair of support pins 44 and supportarms 45 on both sides. FIGS. 7 through 9 show that the tray 13 pulls theDVR cartridge 122 into the chassis by means of the support pins 44 andthe support arms 45. In this case, the base unit 30 rises and floats thecartridge 122 from the tray 13 for supporting. The bare disk 121 is notsupported by the support pins 44 and the support arms 45. As shown inFIGS. 10 through 12, the turntable 43 supports the bare disk 121 at itscenter.

Configuration of a Drive Section 46 for the Tray 13

Referring now to FIGS. 13 through 17, the following describes thestructure of the drive section 46 mounted on the tray 13 forself-propelling the tray 13. A motor 48 is mounted on a chassis 47constituting the drive section 46. As shown in FIG. 13, a worm gear 49is fixed to an output shaft of the motor 48. The worm gear 49 engageswith a worm wheel gear 50. The worm wheel gear 50 has a concentric gearwhich engages with a gear 51. A gear 52 concentric with the gear 51engages with a gear 53. The gear 53 engages with a gear 54 that canoscillate. The gear 54 engages with a gear 55 to which a pinion 56 isfixed concentrically.

When the gear 54 oscillates, it engages with another gear 57. The gear57 has a concentric gear which engages with a gear 58. A gear 59concentric with the gear 58 engages with the gear 55.

The oscillating mechanism of the gear 54 will now be described. As shownin FIG. 15, the chassis 47 is provided with a changeover plate 62. Along hole 63 engages with a pin 64 planted on the chassis 47.Accordingly, the changeover plate 62 is supported so that it can slidehorizontally in FIG. 15. In addition, a spring 65 applies a slidingforce to the changeover plate 62 toward the right in FIG. 15. The rightend of the changeover plate 62 is bent to form a contact section 66.

An oscillating lever 67 in FIG. 16 is rotatively supported on thechassis 47 around a pivot 68. A forcing shaft 69 is planted on theoscillating lever 67 and engages in a coupling hole 70 in the changeoverplate 62. The coupling hole 70 comprises limiting sections 71 and 72 atits both ends. A middle of the limiting sections 71 and 72 forms a wideoscillating section 73.

When the forcing shaft 69 engages with one limiting section 71, thegears 54 and 55 engage with each other as shown in FIG. 13. When theforcing shaft 69 is positioned to the other limiting section 72, thegears 54 and 57 engage with each other as shown in FIG. 14. As shown inFIG. 17, the gear 54 has a helical compression spring 74 around itssupport shaft. The helical compression spring 74 applies a rotative loadto the gear 54. When the gear 53 rotates, the gear 54 oscillates in therotating direction.

Lock Mechanism of the Tray 13 and the Chucking Slider 20

With reference to FIG. 18, the following describes a lock lever 78 thatlocks the tray 13 and the chucking slider 20. A support shaft 79 isplanted at the bottom rear of the external chassis 10. The support shaft79 rotatively supports the lock lever 78. As shown in FIG. 18, a helicalspring 80 rotatively moves the lock lever 78 counterclockwise around thesupport shaft 79. The lock lever 78 is provided with a lock pin 81 forlocking the tray 13 and a hook 82 for locking the chucking slider 20.

As shown in FIG. 19, an L-shaped lock groove 85 is formed on the bottomsurface of the tray 13 at the rear thereof. The L-shaped lock groove 85is bent at its end to form a lock section 86 (see FIG. 43).

As shown in FIG. 19, a recessed section 87 is formed at the rear end ofthe chucking slider 20 on the right side thereof. The end of therecessed section 87 forms a flange 88. When the hook 82 of the locklever 78 engages with the flange 88 of the recessed section 87, thechucking slider 20 is locked. A cam surface 89 is formed outside theflange 88 of the chucking slider 20. When the cam surface 89 restrictsthe hook 82, the lock lever 78 supports the tray 13 so that it is lockedas shown in FIGS. 20 and 21.

The support shaft 79 concentrically and rotatably supports a retractinglever 90. One end of the retracting lever 90 forms a pressed section 91that touches a step section 92 at the end of the chucking slider 20 asshown in FIGS. 22 and 23. The step section 92 of the chucking slider 20presses to rotatively move the retracting lever 90 from the state inFIG. 22 to the state in FIG. 23. At this time, the retracting lever 90presses a contact section 93 at the rear of the tray 13 to press thetray 13 for ejection. This operation is used for ejection by means ofthe emergency ejecting pinion.

Emergency Ejection Mechanism of the Tray 13

Referring now to FIGS. 29 through 33, the following describes thestructure for ejecting the tray 13 in an emergency, e.g., when the motor48 of the drive section 46 for the tray stops rotating or when the drivesection 46 fails. As shown in FIG. 29, a circular hole 99 is formed on abottom surface 98 of the external chassis 10. As shown in FIG. 30, anemergency ejecting pinion 100 is provided at the front end of theexternal chassis 10 and on the side of the horizontal aperture 12 sothat the emergency ejecting pinion 100 is located inside the circularhole 99.

A bracket 101 is attached via a frame on a bottom plate of the externalchassis 10. A support shaft 102 supported by the bracket 101 rotatablysupports the emergency ejecting pinion 100 as shown in FIG. 32. Inaddition, the support shaft 102 is inserted into a helical compressionspring 103 that engages with a step section 104 inside the pinion 100.

As shown in FIG. 32, a recessed section 105 is formed at the bottom ofthe pinion 100 and accepts a sleeve 106. The sleeve 106 engages with therecessed section 105 in the pinion 100 in order to ensure a dust-proofstructure when the emergency ejecting pinion 100 is moved upward to beactivated along the axis line as shown in FIG. 33. The pinion 100engages with the emergency ejecting rack 25 so as to move the chuckingslider 20.

Detection Mechanism for a Disk-shaped Recording Medium

The following describes the detection mechanism for a disk-shapedrecording medium placed on the tray 13. As shown in FIGS. 34 and 35, adetection plate 110 is retractably provided against a vertical wall ofthe recessed section 14 in the tray 13. The detection plate 110 isslidably supported by a slide guide 111 outside the recessed section 14in the tray 13 and is pressed toward the projection direction by ahelical spring 112. That is to say, one end of the helical spring 112engages with a cut 113 of the detection plate 110.

A circuit board 114 is provided on the side of the slide guide 111 onwhich a detection switch 115 is provided. The detection plate 110presses an actuator 116 of the detection switch 115 to activate adetection operation.

The detection plate 110 performs no detection operation when the baredisk 121 is mounted on the tray 13 as shown in FIG. 36. When a DVRcartridge 122 is mounted as shown in FIG. 37, a vertical wall section ofthe external chassis of the cartridge 122 presses the detection plate110. The detection plate 110 slides to press the actuator 116 of thedetection switch 115 for a changeover operation.

The detection plate 110 activates a changeover operation of thedetection switch 115 that is connected to a microcomputer 117 as shownin FIG. 38. The microcomputer 117 controls a motor driver 118 that is adrive circuit for the motor 48. FIG. 38 shows a drive system. FIG. 39shows how the drive system is controlled. In this case, the drive systemis configured to change a voltage for driving the motor 48 of the drivesection 46 depending on whether a disk-shaped recording medium is thebare disk 121 or the DVR cartridge 122.

Support Structure of a Power Supply Flexible Printed Circuit Board 135

The following describes the support structure of the flexible printedcircuit board for supplying power to the motor 48 of the drive section46 for the tray 13. As mentioned above, the tray 13 has the drivesection 46 thereon and moves between the recording-reproducing positionand the ejecting position in a self-propelled manner. A flexible printedcircuit board 135 supplies power from a power supply circuit board 136to the motor 48 of the drive section 46 for such self-propelledoperation (see FIGS. 44A and 44B and 45A through 45C).

Let us consider that the tray 13 moves to the ejecting position or ispulled from the external chassis 10 as shown in FIG. 2. Here, in themiddle of the ejecting operation, the power supply flexible printedcircuit board 135 for driving the motor 48 greatly hangs down in themiddle of the long direction thereof. To prevent such slack, there isprovided a guide mechanism comprising a flexible printed circuit boardguide 125 and a guide rail 126.

As shown in FIG. 40, the flexible printed circuit board guide 125 ismade of a long, narrow synthetic resin molding and is slidably supportedby bearers 127 provided on both sides of the guide rail 126. Theflexible printed circuit board guide 125 is provided with a nail 128.When the nail 128 crosses a cross bar 129 of the guide rail 126, thenail 128 elastically returns to the original position to prevent theflexible printed circuit board guide 125 from being disengaged from theguide rail 126. A helical extension spring 130 is provided between theflexible printed circuit board guide 125 and the guide rail 126 as shownin FIGS. 41A, 41B, 42A, and 42B. One end of the helical extension spring130 is fixed to a hitching section 131 of the guide rail 126. The otherend thereof is fixed to a hitching section 132 of the flexible printedcircuit board guide 125. According to this structure, the flexibleprinted circuit board guide 125 is slidably supported in the guide rail126. The helical extension spring 130 applies force to the flexibleprinted circuit board guide 125 in an extending direction away from theguide rail 126.

As shown in FIG. 43, the guide mechanism for the flexible printedcircuit board 135 is located in the inner part of the tray 13 and ismounted and fixed to the bottom surface thereof. When the tray 13 ejectsas shown in FIG. 44B, the flexible printed circuit board guide 125extends to the rear to support the flexible printed circuit board 135that is to hang down (see FIG. 45B).

(2) Operations and Effects

Overall Operations

The following describes overall operations of the diskrecording-reproducing apparatus according to the above-mentionedconfiguration. As shown in FIG. 2, operating a switch (not shown) allowsthe drive section 46 to eject the self-propelled tray 13 from thehorizontal aperture 12 in the front panel 11 of the external chassis 10.A bare disk or a DVR cartridge is placed in the recessed section 14 ofthe tray 13.

In this state, operating the switch (not shown) allows the motor 48 todrive the drive section 46 mounted on the tray 13, causing the pinion 56and the rack 24 to retract the tray 13 in a self-propelled manner. As aresult, the tray 13 is housed in the external chassis 10 as shown inFIG. 1.

An output from the drive section 46 of the tray 13 is used to move thechucking slider 20 in the direction of ejecting the tray 13, i.e., inthe forward direction. The cam groove 23 of the chucking slider 20 isused to raise the base unit 30. Then, the turntable 43 on the base unit30 rises to rotatively drive the bare disk or a disk in the cartridge.When the bare disk is mounted, the stepping motor 37 and the feed screw36 in FIG. 5 are used to move the optical pickup 33 for DVD in theradial direction of the optical disk for recording and/or reproducingoperations. When the DVR cartridge is mounted, the stepping motor 41 andthe feed screw 40 are used to move the optical pickup 34 for DVR in theradial direction of the optical disk for recording or reproducingoperations.

The base unit 30 rises to approach the tray 13. When the tray 13 movesthe DVR cartridge 122 to the recording-reproducing position, the supportpin 44 and the support arm 45 of the rising base unit 30 support thecartridge 122 as shown in FIGS. 7 through 9. As the base unit 30 rises,top ends of the support pin 44 and the support arm 45 extrude throughthe opening formed in the recessed section 14 of the tray 13. In thismanner, the cartridge 122 is supported above the recessed section 14 ofthe tray 13. As shown in FIGS. 10 through 12, the bare disk 121 issupported at its center by the turntable 43 provided on the rising baseunit 30 and is rotatively driven above the recessed section 14 of thetray 13.

There is provided the drive means that uses the common turntable 43 tomove the optical pickups 33 and 34 for different formats such as DVD andDVR in the radial direction of disks. While one optical pickup accessesa recording medium compliant with the corresponding format, at least anobjective lens, i.e., a head section of the other optical pickup escapesout of a projected area of the recording medium. This makes it possibleto avoid conflicts among a plurality of types of optical pickups 33 and34 and corresponding recording media. It becomes possible to decreasethe number of parts, eliminate unnecessary spaces and mechanisms alongthe axis line of a disk, and provide a recording-reproducing apparatuswith a reduced height.

After completion of a specified recording or reproducing operation, thedrive section 46 of the tray 13 lowers the base unit 30. An output ofthe drive section 46 allows the tray 13 to be self-propelled to eject asshown in FIG. 2. Then, the bare disk or the cartridge can be removedfrom the recessed section 14 of the tray 13.

Self-propelled Operation of the Tray 13 Due to the Drive Section 46

The drive section 46 provided on the tray 13 has the changeover plate 62as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15. The spring 65 applies a sliding force tothe changeover plate 62 toward the right. That is to say, the contactsection 66 comprising the bent portion extrudes. Accordingly, as shownin FIG. 15, the limiting section 71 of the coupling hole 70 restrainsthe forcing shaft 69 of the oscillating lever 67. In this case, thegears 54 and 55 engage with each other.

Consequently, rotation of the motor 48 is sequentially transmitted tothe worm gear 49, the worm wheel gear 50, the gears 51, 52, 53, 54, and55 to finally drive the pinion 56. The pinion 56 engages with the rack24 of the chucking slider 20. In addition, the hook 82 of the lock lever78 locks the chucking slider 20 (see FIG. 19). In this manner, thepinion 56 rolls on the rack 24 to enable a self-propelled operation ofthe tray 13 having the drive section 46 equipped with the pinion 56. Theself-propelled operation of the tray 13 changes one state to the otheras shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The tray 13 can reciprocate between theejecting position in FIG. 2 and the recording-reproducing position inFIG. 1.

The motor 48 and the drive section 46 are provided on the tray 13. Thedrive section 46 enables self-propelled operations of the tray 13. Thisstructure eliminates the need for providing the tray 13 with a drivesection at the side of the external chassis 10 or the base unit 30. Therecording-reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment, inparticular, arranges the optical pickup 33 for DVD to the front of theturntable 43 and the optical pickup 34 for DVR to the rear thereof asshown in FIG. 5. If the drive section for the tray 13 is furtherarranged to the front of the optical pickup 33 for DVD, the apparatuswill have a very large depth, i.e., the dimension in the lateraldirection in FIG. 5. If the drive section is arranged on the tray 13, bycontrast, the drive section need not be arranged on the base unit 30 orthe external chassis 10. Accordingly, it is possible to decrease thedimension along the movement direction of the tray 13 and miniaturizethe entire apparatus.

Rising Operation of the Base Unit 30

An output from the drive section 46 provided on the tray 13 enablesself-propelled operations of the tray 13. The tray 13 moves from theejecting position to the recording-reproducing position. The tray 13changes the state in FIG. 2 to that in FIG. 1 to retract into theexternal chassis 10. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19, the lock pin 81of the lock lever 78, which is provided at the bottom rear of theexterior chassis 10, enters the L-shaped lock groove 85 provided at therear of the tray 13, wherein the lock pin 81 is provided at the bottomrear of the tray 13. When the output from the drive section 46 retractsthe tray 13 further toward the rear, the end of the L-shaped lock groove85 in the tray 13 presses the lock pin 81 of the lock lever 78. As shownin FIG. 20, the lock lever 78 rotates clockwise around the support shaft79 against the spring 80. The lock pin 81 enters the lock section 86bent toward the side of the L-shaped lock groove 85. Subsequently, thelock section 86 of the L-shaped lock groove 85 restrains the lock pin 81of the lock lever 78. In addition, the chucking slider 20 having the camsurface 89 moves to the left as indicated with an arrow in FIG. 21. Theside surface of the cam surface 89 prevents the hook 82 of the locklever 78 from rotating. As a result, the lock lever 78 locks the tray13.

Since the lock lever 78 rotates clockwise around the support shaft 79,the hook 82 of the lock lever 78 disengages from the recessed section 87of the chucking slider 20 as shown in FIG. 20. This unlocks the locklever 78 of the chucking slider 20, enabling the chucking slider 20 tomove in the movement direction of the tray 13.

When the drive section 46 retracts the tray 13 to therecording-reproducing position, the contact section 66 of the changeoverplate 62 for the drive section 46 touches the rear panel of the externalchassis 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 28. The contact section 66 is thenpressed to move the changeover plate 62 to the left against the spring65 as shown in FIG. 14. The forcing shaft 69 disengages from thelimiting section 71 for the coupling hole 70 of the changeover plate 62.At the same time, the forcing shaft 69 becomes free in the oscillatingsection 73, causing the oscillating lever 67 to oscillate. When thechangeover plate 62 further moves to the left, the forcing shaft 69 isintroduced into another limiting section 72 and is restrained here. Theoscillating lever 67 is then switched. The gear 54 on the oscillatinglever 67 disengages from the gear 55 and engages with the gear 57 asshown in FIG. 7.

Consequently, rotation of the motor 48 is sequentially transmitted tothe worm gear 49, the worm wheel gear 50, the gears 51, 52, 53, 54, 57,58, 59, and 55 to finally drive the pinion 56. At this time, the gearratio increases in comparison with that for the gear engagement in FIG.13. The pinion 56 decreases the rotational speed and increases thetorque.

The drive section 46 performs the changeover operation in this manner.In addition, the pinion 56 of the drive section 46 generates hightorque. This high drive torque presses the rack 24 of the chuckingslider 20 with the unlocked hook 82 of the lock lever 78 toward thefront, i.e., in the same direction as the ejection of the tray 13. Whenthe chucking slider 20 is pressed slightly, the hook 82 of the locklever 78 runs onto the cam surface 89 of the chucking slider 20,restraining the rotation of the lock lever 78. This reliably keeps thelock pin 81 of the lock lever 78 to be introduced into the lock section86 for the L-shaped lock groove 85 of the tray 13.

As shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, the drive section 46 on the tray 13retracts the tray 13 in a self-propelled manner. The tray 13 retracts tothe recording-reproducing position as shown in FIGS. 24A and 25B. Whenthe motor 48 continues to drive the drive section 46 for the tray 13,the drive section 46 is changed due to the movement of the changeoverplate 62. The pinion 56 constituting an output end of the drive section46 feeds the rack 24 of the chucking slider 20 to move the chuckingslider 20 to the left as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B.

The chucking slider 20 has the cam grooves 23 on both sides. The pin 31of the base unit 30 engages in each of the cam grooves 23. The verticalslits 32 provided on both sides of the external chassis 10 restricthorizontal movement of the pins 31 at their tips. When the drive section46 of the tray 13 drives to slide the chucking slider 20, the base unit30 rises due to an effect of the cam grooves 23 via the pins 31.

When the base unit 30 rises, the optical pickup 33 for DVD and theoptical pickup 34 for DVR mounted thereon respectively enter thesemicircular cut 17 and the U-shaped cut 16 of the aperture 15 in thetray 13. Further, the turntable 43 on the base unit 30 enters theaperture 15 to support an optical disk transported by the tray 13.Accordingly, the optical disk rotates above the tray 13, as if floatingthere above. The optical pickup 33 for DVD or the optical pickup 34 forDVR accesses the optical disk for recording or reproducing operations.

FIG. 27 shows that the tray 13 is ejected. A bare disk or a DVRcartridge is mounted on the recessed section 14 in the tray 13. When thetray 13 retracts with this state, the tray 13 moves to therecording-reproducing position as shown in FIG. 28.

Falling Operation of the Base Unit 30

FIGS. 26A and 26B show the relationship between the base unit 30 and thetray 13 during a recording or reproducing operation on the bare disk orthe DVD cartridge. Upon completion of the recording or reproducingoperation, the motor 48 of the drive section 46 on the tray 13 is drivenreversely, i.e., in the direction of ejecting the tray 13. At this time,the contact section 66 of the changeover plate 62 for the drive section46 touches the rear panel of the external chassis 10. Therefore, thegears in the drive section 46 engage with each other as shown in FIG.14.

When the motor 48 is driven in this state, the pinion 56 moves the rack24 to the rear with a high drive torque, i.e., to the right in FIGS. 26Aand 26B. As shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the chucking slider 20accordingly moves to the right together with the cam grooves 23 providedthereon that catch the pins 31 on both sides of the base unit 30. Thepins 31 on the base unit 30 are lowered along the vertical slits 32.Consequently, the pair of optical pickups 33 and 34 on the base unit 30are lowered from the cuts 17 and 16 at both sides of the aperture 15 inthe tray 13, respectively. As the base unit 30 lowers, the turntable 43lowers to seat the bare disk or the cartridge on the recessed section 14of the tray 13.

According to the movement of the chucking slider 20, the hook 82 of thelock lever 78 in FIG. 21 slides on the cam surface 89 to become thestate in FIG. 20. Then, the hook 82 rotates counterclockwise around thesupport shaft 79 due to a force from the helical spring 80 and fallsinto the recessed section 87 as shown in FIG. 19.

When the lock lever 78 rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft79, the lock pin 81 on the lock lever 78 disengages from the locksection 86 of the L-shaped lock groove 85 on the tray 13 to unlock thetray 13. The rotation of the lock lever 78 allows the hook 82 to fallinto the recessed section 87 of the chucking slider 20. This locks thechucking slider 20 that becomes the state in FIG. 19.

The motor 48 of the drive section 46 of the tray 13 continues to rotatethereafter. The pinion 56 of the drive section 46 rolls on the rack 24of the locked chucking slider 20 to move the tray 13 to the ejectingposition. At an initial stage of this movement, the changeover plate 62of the drive section 46 leaves the rear panel of the external chassis10. Accordingly, the changeover plate 62 moves to the right due to thespring 65. The drive section 46 changes the state in FIG. 14 to that inFIG. 13. The ejection operation takes place at a relatively high speed.When the tray ejects completely, the bare disk or the DVR cartridge canbe removed from the recessed section 14 of the tray 13.

Effects of the Elevation Mechanism for the Base Unit 30

The disk recording-reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment ofthe present invention has two optical pickups corresponding to differentdisk formats at the front and the rear of the turntable 43 constitutinga disk rotating section. The apparatus has the structure capable ofloading operations compatible with DVR-only cartridges and DVD/CD baredisks.

According to the structure of the base unit 30, there are provided theDVR optical pickup 34 (laser wavelength of 405 nm) for reading andwriting data on DVR cartridges and the DVD optical pickup 33 (laserwavelength of 650/780 nm, with a 2-wavelength lens) for recording andreproducing data on DVD/CD disks. These optical pickups are arrangedbefore and after the base unit 30. The chucking slider 20 is slidablyarranged on the bottom plate of the external chassis 10. There isprovided a pair of cam grooves 23 for vertically moving up and down thechucking slider 20 through the two protruding pins 31 on each of bothsides of the base unit 30. Further, the chucking slider 20 has the rack24 that engages with the pinion 56 of the drive section 46 for the tray13.

The tray 13 has the recessed section 14 and the aperture 15. Therecessed section 14 is capable of mounting a DVR cartridge or a DVD/CDbare disk. The aperture 15 continuously forms the cuts 17 and 16 foraccepting two optical pickups 33 and 34 arranged before and after theturntable 43. The tray 13 has the pinion 56 that decelerates rotation ofthe motor 48 by means of a set of gears and transmits power to the rack24. The drive section 46 is mounted on the tray 13 at its rear.

The hook lever 78 provided on the bottom plate of the external chassis10 comprises the hook 82 for locking the chucking slider 20 and the lockpin 81 entering the lock section 86 of the lock groove 85 for the tray13. The support shaft 79 provided with the lock lever 78 is planted onthe external chassis that constitutes a guide member for sliding thechucking slider 20 and the tray 13.

When the lock lever 78 locks the chucking slider 20 as shown in FIG. 19,the cam groove 23 of the chucking slider 20 allows the base unit 30 tolower as shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B. The tray 13 ejects and retracts bymeans of rotation of the motor 48 in the drive section 46 for the tray13.

Immediately before the tray 13 completely retracts as shown in FIG. 2,the lock pin 81 of the lock lever 78 enters the L-shaped lock groove 85in the tray 13 as shown in FIG. 19. When the tray 13 retracts further,the lock pin 81 of the lock lever 78 is introduced into the lock section86 of the L-shaped lock groove 85. At the same time as shown in FIG. 20,the hook 82 of the lock lever 78 disengages from the recessed section 87of the chucking slider 20 to unlock the chucking slider 20.

The tray 13 completely retracts to allow the contact section 66 of thechangeover plate 62 for the drive section 46 to touch the externalchassis 10. Then, the drive section 46 changes the state in FIG. 13 tothat in FIG. 14. In addition, rotation of the motor 48 for the drivesection 46 becomes a driving force for the chucking slider 20. At thistime, the hook 82 of the lock lever 78 slides on the cam surface 89 ofthe chucking slider 20 that slides as shown in FIG. 21. Consequently,the lock lever 78 cannot rotate counterclockwise even if it is appliedwith a force from the helical spring 80. The tray 13 is fixed to thatposition with the lock pin 81 of the lock lever 78 inserted into thelock section 86. The driving force of the drive section 46 reverselypresses the chucking slider 20 in the ejection direction to elevate thebase unit 30.

Accordingly, this configuration can miniaturize the drive apparatus forthe tray 13 by providing the tray drive section 46 on the tray 13 at itsrear end in the apparatus that arranges a pair of optical pickups 33 and34 before and after the turntable 43. Since the lock lever 78 is used tolock and unlock the chucking slider 20 and the tray 13, the motor 48 ofthe drive section 46 provided on the tray 13 can exclusively move thetray 13 and elevate the base unit 30. This makes it possible to decreasethe number of drive sections and parts and save the costs.

Emergency Rejection of the Tray 13

The following describes an emergency ejection apparatus for the tray 13provided in the recording-reproducing apparatus. As mentioned above, thetray 13 is driven by the drive section 46 mounted thereon forself-propelled operations and can reciprocate between therecording-reproducing position and the ejecting position. When the tray13 is located to the recording-reproducing position with a bare disk ora DVD cartridge mounted, however, the motor 48 or the drive section 46may not function, disabling the tray 13 from being ejected. In thiscase, the emergency ejection of the tray 13 is made available byinserting a screwdriver into the circular hole 99 on the bottom plate 98of the external chassis 10 to rotate the emergency ejecting pinion 100.This operation is described below.

As shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, the emergency ejecting pinion 100 isrotatively supported by the support shaft 102 of the bracket 101. Inaddition, the helical compression spring 103 presses the step section104. Accordingly, the emergency ejecting pinion 100 is pressed againstthe bottom plate 103 so that the recessed section 105 covers the sleeve106. The sleeve 106 communicating with the circular hole 99 is locatedwithin the recessed section 105 of the pinion 100. The helicalcompression spring 103 presses the pinion 100 downward to provide asealed structure, preventing dust from entering the external chassis 10through circular hole 99.

When a screwdriver is inserted into the circular hole 99 on the bottomsurface 98 in this state and is pushed upward, the screwdriver pressesthe helical compression spring 103 as shown in FIGS. 31 and 33.Simultaneously, the pinion 100 slides upward through the support shaft102. At this time, the recessed section 105 of the pinion 100 engageswith an external surface of the sleeve 106. The external surface thereofworks as a guide surface.

When the pinion 100 moves upward in this manner, it engages with theemergency ejecting rack 25 provided under the rack 24 of the chuckingslider 20 as shown in FIGS. 31 and 33. At this time, the hook 82 of thelock lever 78 is positioned on the cam surface 89 of the chucking slider20 as shown in FIG. 21. The lock lever 78 does not lock the chuckingslider 20. When the emergency ejecting pinion 100 is rotatedcounterclockwise as indicated with an arrow in FIG. 22, the chuckingslider 20 moves to the inner part of the external chassis 10. That is tosay, the chucking slider 20 moves from the position in FIG. 26B to thatin FIG. 25B. The cam groove 23 of the chucking slider 20 supports thepins 31 provided on both sides of the base unit 30 that then moves downalong the vertical slit 32. Accordingly, a pair of pickups 33 and 34 andthe turntable 43 on the base unit 30 disengages downward from theaperture 15 of the tray 13.

In accordance with the movement of the chucking slider 20 and thesubsequent movement of the tray 13, the hook 82 of the lock lever 78drops into the recessed section 87 of the chucking slider 20 due to anelastic restoring force of the helical spring 80 as shown in FIG. 19.The lock lever 78 rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 79as shown in FIG. 19. Consequently, the lock section 86 of the lock lever78 disengages from the lock section 86 of the L-shaped lock groove 85 onthe tray 13. The lock lever 78 is unlocked for the tray 13.

In this state, when the emergency ejecting pinion 100 is further rotatedwith the screwdriver, the emergency ejecting rack 25 pushes the chuckingslider 20 as shown in FIG. 22. The step section 92 provided on thechucking slider 20 then pushes the pressed section 91 of the retractinglever 90 as shown in FIG. 23. The retracting lever 90 is rotatedcounterclockwise around the support shaft 79 as shown in FIG. 23. Thetip of the retracting lever 90 then presses the contact section 93 atthe rear of the tray 13, pushing back the tray 13 for a specifiedamount. As will be clearly understood from the comparison between FIGS.22 and 23, this push-back amount is equivalent to a length of the tray13 at its end protruding from the horizontal aperture 12 of the frontpanel 11.

In this manner, the end of the tray 13 is pushed out of the horizontalaperture 12 for a specified amount. By holding and pulling the ejectedpart of the tray 13, a user can completely take out the tray 13 thatmalfunctioned. The drive section 46 functions as an adjuster to slowdown the movement of the tray while it is pulled out.

Even if the drive section 46 or the motor 48 of the tray 13 does notfunction, such emergency ejection operation for the tray 13 allows auser to pull out the tray 13 and take out the bare disk or the cartridgefrom the tray 13. Further, as shown in FIG. 32, the pinion 100 foremergency ejection allows its recessed section 105 to let in the sleeve106 provided so as to cover the circular hole 99. The helicalcompression spring 103 is used to press the pinion 100 downward.According to this structure, the bottom end of the emergency ejectingpinion 100 tightly contacts with the bottom surface 98 of the externalchassis 10 to provide a dust-proof structure. Therefore, this preventsdust from entering the external chassis 10 through the circular hole 99.

Disk Loading Corresponding to Detection of Media

As shown in FIGS. 34 and 35, the disk recording-reproducing apparatus isprovided with the detection plate 110 so as to face part of the verticalwall at the outside periphery of the recessed section 14 for the tray13. The detection plate 110 is used to determine a disk-shaped recordingmedium mounted on the recessed section 14 for the tray 13.

When the bare disk 121 is mounted on the tray 13 as shown in FIG. 36,the detection plate 110 cannot detect the bare disk 121. The detectionplate 110 remains pushed by the helical spring 112. In this case, thedetection switch 115 remains unchanged. When the DVR cartridge 122 ismounted on the tray 13, by contrast, the side wall section at theoutside periphery of the cartridge 122 pushes the detection plate 110 asshown in FIG. 37. The detection plate 110 is retracted against thehelical spring 112. In response to this slide operation, the detectionplate 110 presses the actuator 116 of the detection switch 115 to changethe state of the detection switch 115.

The detection plate 110 is used to determine media by detecting the baredisk 121 or the DVR cartridge 122. According to this mediadetermination, the microcomputer 117 in FIG. 38 changes a voltageapplied to the motor 48 based on the flowchart in FIG. 39. When the baredisk 121 is detected, a drive voltage for the motor 48 is set to 5 V.When the DVR cartridge 122 is detected, a drive voltage for the motor 48is set to 7 V.

Loads for self-propelling the tray 13 vary with weights of media placedon the tray 13, a load for opening a shutter of the DVR cartridge 122,and a load for a bare disk chucking mechanism (not shown). Accordingly,it becomes possible to drive the motor 48 with optimal drive voltagescorresponding to these loads and stably move the tray 13 despite changesin weights of different-types of media.

Guide Operation for the Flexible Printed Circuit Board 135

As mentioned above, the tray 13 mounts on itself the drive section 46and the motor 48 for self-propelled operations. Hence, it is necessaryto supply power to the motor 48 of the drive section 46 from theoutside. The power supply flexible printed circuit board 135 as shown inFIGS. 44A and 44B is used for this purpose. One end of the flexibleprinted circuit board 135 is connected to the fixed power supply circuitboard 136. The flexible printed circuit board 135 supplies power fromthe fixed power supply circuit board 136. When the tray 13 is pulled outof the horizontal aperture 12 of the front panel 11, the flexibleprinted circuit board 135 largely slacks downward in the middle of anoperation to pull out the tray 13 as shown in FIG. 45B. There isprovided a support mechanism for the flexible printed circuit board 135as shown in FIG. 45A comprising the flexible printed circuit board guide125 and the guide rail 126 to prevent the flexible printed circuit board135 from slacking.

When the tray 13 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 44A, the supportmechanism functions as follows. The helical extension spring 130 appliesforce for pulling out the flexible printed circuit board guide 125 fromthe guide rail 126 to support the flexible printed circuit board 135, asshown in FIGS. 41A and 41B. This operation occurs when the tray 13 movesbetween the ejecting position and the recording-reproducing position.

In FIG. 44B, the tray 13 almost completely retracts into the chassis 10and moves to the recording-reproducing position. At this time, theflexible printed circuit board guide 125 touches a plate at the rear ofthe external chassis 10. The flexible printed circuit board guide 125 ispulled into the guide rail 126 as shown in FIGS. 42A and 42B. In thiscase, the guide mechanism comprising the flexible printed circuit boardguide 125 and the guide rail 126 is maintained to almost the same heightas the rear end of the tray 13.

This structure provides a guide member for the flexible printed circuitboard 135 comprising the flexible printed circuit board guide 125 andthe guide rail 126 under the tray 13. This makes it possible toeffectively support the power supply flexible printed circuit board 135from underneath in a limited space. Since the helical extension spring130 is used for sliding the flexible printed circuit board guide 125,this guide can be extended to support the power supply flexible printedcircuit board 135 or be compactly contracted otherwise. In addition, theguide rail 126 supports the flexible printed circuit board guide 125with its nail 128 crossing over the cross bar 129. The flexible printedcircuit board guide 125 can be very easily assembled to the guide rail126.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

While there has been described the present invention according to theembodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the present invention maybe embodied in various modifications without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention. While the embodiment concerns the apparatusconfigured to have an optical disk and an optical head apparatuscomprising a pair of optical pickups 33 and 34, the present invention isnot limited to this configuration. The present invention can be widelyapplied to apparatuses comprising a combination of recording media suchas a magnetic optical disk, a magnetic disk, a capacitance disk, and thelike, and a head apparatus to record and/or reproduce data from therecording media.

The present invention relates to a disk recording-reproducing apparatusthat rotates a disk-shaped recording medium and uses a pickup to recordand/or reproduce data from the recording medium. The apparatus comprisesa tray to move the disk-shaped recording medium between arecording-reproducing position and an ejecting position; and a drivesection that is provided on the tray to self-propel the tray between therecording-reproducing position and the ejecting position.

According to such a disk recording-reproducing apparatus, the drivesection is provided on the tray to self-propel the tray between therecording-reproducing position and the ejecting position. Thiseliminates the need to provide a drive section at the fixed side, savingthe space along the tray movement direction.

Further, the present invention relates to a disk recording-reproducingapparatus that rotates a disk-shaped recording medium and uses a pickupto record and/or reproduce data from the recording medium. The apparatuscomprises a base unit having a pickup and a turntable to rotate adisk-shaped recording medium; a chucking slider to move the base unit upand down; a tray to move the disk-shaped recording medium between arecording-reproducing position and an ejecting position on the baseunit; and a drive section provided on the tray to self-propel the traybetween the recording-reproducing position and the ejecting position.The drive section moves the tray to the recording-reproducing positionto stop movement and then moves the chucking slider to raise the baseunit.

Accordingly, such a disk recording-reproducing apparatus can self-propelthe tray by means of the drive section that allows the tray toself-propel between the recording-reproducing position and the ejectingposition. When the tray moves to the recording-reproducing apparatus andstops, the drive section on the tray slides the chucking slider to raisethe base unit. That is to say, the drive section for the tray can bealso used as a drive source for moving the base unit up and down.

Moreover, the present invention relates to a disk recording-reproducingapparatus that rotates a disk-shaped recording medium and uses a pickupto record and/or reproduce data from the recording medium. The apparatuscomprises a tray to move the disk-shaped recording medium between arecording-reproducing position and an ejecting position; a transportmeans for moving the tray between the recording-reproducing position andthe ejecting position; and a detection means for detecting a type of thedisk-shaped recording medium placed on the tray. A detection result ofthe detection means changes an output or speed of the transport means.

Such a disk recording-reproducing apparatus changes a driving force or atransport speed of the transport means in accordance with a detectionresult for the disk-shaped recording medium. It becomes possible to movethe tray with an optimum driving force or speed in accordance withweights and applied loads for types of disk-shaped recording media.

1: A disk recording-reproducing apparatus which rotates a disk-shapedrecording medium and uses a pickup for recording and/or reproducingoperations, said apparatus comprising: a tray to move said disk-shapedrecording medium between a recording-reproducing position and anejecting position; and a transport means for moving said tray betweensaid recording-reproducing position and said ejecting position; and adetection means for detecting a type of a disk-shaped recording mediumplaced on said tray, wherein a detection result of said detection meanschanges an output or speed of said transport means. 2: The diskrecording-reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein saiddetection means detects a distinction between cartridge type and baredisk type disk-shaped recording media.